Erazmus
12-18-2007, 11:11 AM
I guess it's not a surprise to anyone here that people get hung up on when you call up a radio show and mention Ron Paul's name. This is what happened to me. I'll post the letter I wrote to the show hosts below, it explains pretty much everything. The show involved is the Armstrong and Getty show. It is broadcast in the greater bay area stretching from San Francisco to Sacramento on the AM dial.
Armstrong and Getty,
I have been a long time listener to your radio program on 650AM. Often I sit in bumper to bumper traffic listening to your show during the morning drive. I have never actually called your radio show; I merely listened, until today. I always thought you gave everyone a fair shake. I know now, that this is not true.
This morning you guys were talking about Mike Huckabee and his Christmas video. This struck me as odd that you were talking about that, and I wondered if you also knew that Ron Paul also had a Christmas video that he released online. It was just something I thought of in passing. I wasn’t sure if you had talked about it, or knew that Ron’s video was out some time before Huckabee’s. In fact, it had struck me at that moment that Huckabee tends to do that a lot. Ron Paul’s campaign does something innovating, and a short while later, the Huckabee camp does the exact same thing. This holds true with Ron’s website design, his donation meter, the donation money “bomb” days, mentioning the Constitution, etc. I felt this was kind of funny and wanted to get your take on it. It seems when Ron does something, he gets largely ignored by media. Recently, if Huckabee does the same thing as Ron, the Huckabee camp gets plenty of media coverage and he gets credited for these novel campaign ideas, or at the very least gets exposure.
So I made the decision to call. I got through right away and was asked by a screener what I wanted to talk about. I specified that I wanted to speak about the Huckabee Christmas message, and how it’s funny that Huckabee seems to copy Ron’s every move. The screener interrupted me promptly and said, “Oh god, another Ron Paul comment…” and hung up on me.
This angered me greatly. I expect this kind of behavior from other talk radio shows, but I never expected this sort of treatment from your show. Your screeners are direct representatives of your show, as they speak with all the callers initially. As such, they represent you. I would have understood if I was told, “We’re not discussing any other candidates at this time,” or even, “Ron Paul will be addressed on a later show.” I wouldn’t have been happy, because my comment was directly related to the topic, but I would have understood why I didn’t get on their air to voice my opinion. It is your show, after all, and you can talk about whatever you want. My disappointment comes from the lack of respect and the unprofessional attitude that I experienced as one of your listeners by a member of your staff. Based on this experience, I have to reevaluate whether or not I will bother keeping your show on during my morning commute. I guess that final decision will depend greatly on your response, or lack of response to this letter.
I truly hope this was an isolated incident and that you will reprimand the screener involved. I would also like to think that you guys will hear everyone’s opinions on varying matters in the future. This was my first experience in calling your show, and it was not a good one.
Thank you for your time,
Travis
I kept the tone of the letter as civil as possible. In all honesty, I understand that it wasn't the hosts that did this, however, if callers are filtered in this way, how can we accept the idea that what actually broadcasts on air is honest discourse when other views are filtered out. I will see what the response is, if any. That will truly determine whether or not I'll be listening to the show from now on.
If you would like to reach the show's hosts, here is the email address.
armstrongandgetty@yahoo.com
Armstrong and Getty,
I have been a long time listener to your radio program on 650AM. Often I sit in bumper to bumper traffic listening to your show during the morning drive. I have never actually called your radio show; I merely listened, until today. I always thought you gave everyone a fair shake. I know now, that this is not true.
This morning you guys were talking about Mike Huckabee and his Christmas video. This struck me as odd that you were talking about that, and I wondered if you also knew that Ron Paul also had a Christmas video that he released online. It was just something I thought of in passing. I wasn’t sure if you had talked about it, or knew that Ron’s video was out some time before Huckabee’s. In fact, it had struck me at that moment that Huckabee tends to do that a lot. Ron Paul’s campaign does something innovating, and a short while later, the Huckabee camp does the exact same thing. This holds true with Ron’s website design, his donation meter, the donation money “bomb” days, mentioning the Constitution, etc. I felt this was kind of funny and wanted to get your take on it. It seems when Ron does something, he gets largely ignored by media. Recently, if Huckabee does the same thing as Ron, the Huckabee camp gets plenty of media coverage and he gets credited for these novel campaign ideas, or at the very least gets exposure.
So I made the decision to call. I got through right away and was asked by a screener what I wanted to talk about. I specified that I wanted to speak about the Huckabee Christmas message, and how it’s funny that Huckabee seems to copy Ron’s every move. The screener interrupted me promptly and said, “Oh god, another Ron Paul comment…” and hung up on me.
This angered me greatly. I expect this kind of behavior from other talk radio shows, but I never expected this sort of treatment from your show. Your screeners are direct representatives of your show, as they speak with all the callers initially. As such, they represent you. I would have understood if I was told, “We’re not discussing any other candidates at this time,” or even, “Ron Paul will be addressed on a later show.” I wouldn’t have been happy, because my comment was directly related to the topic, but I would have understood why I didn’t get on their air to voice my opinion. It is your show, after all, and you can talk about whatever you want. My disappointment comes from the lack of respect and the unprofessional attitude that I experienced as one of your listeners by a member of your staff. Based on this experience, I have to reevaluate whether or not I will bother keeping your show on during my morning commute. I guess that final decision will depend greatly on your response, or lack of response to this letter.
I truly hope this was an isolated incident and that you will reprimand the screener involved. I would also like to think that you guys will hear everyone’s opinions on varying matters in the future. This was my first experience in calling your show, and it was not a good one.
Thank you for your time,
Travis
I kept the tone of the letter as civil as possible. In all honesty, I understand that it wasn't the hosts that did this, however, if callers are filtered in this way, how can we accept the idea that what actually broadcasts on air is honest discourse when other views are filtered out. I will see what the response is, if any. That will truly determine whether or not I'll be listening to the show from now on.
If you would like to reach the show's hosts, here is the email address.
armstrongandgetty@yahoo.com